Constitution of the Year VIII

The Constitution of the Year VIII was a national constitution of France that was adopted on 24 December 1799, establishing the French Consulate in the place of the former French Directory. The Coup of 18 Brumaire led to general Napoleon Bonaparte taking power, and he became First Consul of the French First Republic, later becoming "Consul for Life". The constitution tailor-made the title of First Consul so that Napoleon could reign as dictator, and Napoleon drew parallels between the constitution and the constitution that made Julius Caesar "dictator for life" of the Roman Republic. In 1804, Napoleon established the First French Empire with the Constitution of the Year XII.